Smithiantha

Family Gesneriaceae. Origin - South America.

This herbaceous plant has a scaly rhizome, soft heart-shaped leaves with a beautiful pattern and yellow-orange or orange-red flowers gathered in raceme-like inflorescences. Blooms Smithiantha from July to September.

Placement: The plant needs a warm, bright but not sunny location. An east-facing windowsill is quite suitable. In winter the room temperature should not be below 12 °C.

Care: From March to October moderate watering and feeding with flowering fertilizers in small doses every 14 days are necessary. In the period of vegetation the plant should be regularly sprayed. In October the leaves of the plant die back, and the rhizome overwinters in the pot placed in a dry and cool place. In spring the rhizome should be repotted into fresh potting soil and slightly moistened, then moved to the windowsill. As soon as the first leaves appear, Smithiantha is watered and fed.

Propagation: By seeds and by division of the rhizome.

This beautiful ornamental plant grows very well in a terrarium.

based on materials from the website www.klumba.info